


Sitting On A Graveyard Shelf

by WhoIsWren



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Human, Canonical Character Death, Cemetery, Fluff, Human Hales, Kinda, LITERALLY, M/M, Talking To Dead People, derek learns to use his words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-22 17:30:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7447891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhoIsWren/pseuds/WhoIsWren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All he wants to do is talk to his mom in peace, but some asshole keeps creeping around the cemetery.</p><p>Every. Single. Day.</p><p>He's had enough, this guy's got some explaining to do.</p><p>Crap, dude's pretty hot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sitting On A Graveyard Shelf

**Author's Note:**

> Camp Nano - Day 8  
> I'm Australian so it was super hard to write 'mom' instead of 'mum', but Teen Wolf is American so I should probably stick to some canon right?  
> Title: Chasing The Sun - Sara Bareilles

He’s been visiting his mother after school every day for years, it’s the quietest time of the day at the cemetery, and every single time he’s alone. Sometimes Scott will sit in the Jeep and wait while Stiles updates his mom on what happened during the day but he’s never seen anyone else in the cemetery with him before.

Until last week that is.

He was leaning against the cold headstone that read ‘Claudia Stilinski. Beloved wife and mother’ chatting about his day –

“Seriously Harris is still a dick, I don’t get why he hates me so much. I mean it could be because dad arrested him once but so what?! He’s totally bringing down my GPA”

 – When he saw something move in the corner of his eye. Someone was walking down the aisles, not exactly towards him but near enough. He turned his head slightly to watch the stranger shuffle along the headstones before coming to stop a few rows away from where Stiles was sitting. The guy was a little older than Stiles and was decked out head to toe in black, including the black leather jacket. He looked like he definitely belonged in a cemetery. The grave the man stopped at was a rather large one, very expensive; Stiles didn’t know who it belonged to but he knows it’s been there for almost as long as he’s been visiting his mother and he’s never seen anyone near it before. The guy continued to shuffle awkwardly, occasionally looking over his shoulder at Stiles.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow mom. Love you” Stiles said to the headstone, feeling  uncomfortable about talking to his mother with someone in hearing distance. He patted the top of the stone fondly before walking back towards his Jeep, noticing a black Camaro parked nearby.

This is the first time he’s left the cemetery early, usually staying an hour or two talking to his mother. The first couple of times he’d gone he’d asked his dad to come along, but it had been too painful for both of them. Since then he never asks his father to join him, but his dad knows he still visits every day.

He’s actually a little annoyed that the strange guy showed up but can’t fault him for wanting to visit some lost loved one.

He’ll just stay a little longer tomorrow to make up for it.

 

~*~

 

The next day he’s only half way through telling his mom about the stupid shit him and Scott got up to that day when he hears footsteps.

Low and behold the stranger is back.

Stiles tries really, really hard not to be angry at this guy. Everyone has a right to visit the cemetery and he knows that deep seated need to come often enough so the pain of the loss doesn’t hurt that much. But he can’t help it, he’s annoyed.

He doesn’t get up straight away this time; instead he lingers, back against the cool stone, hoping this guy won’t stick around and he can continue talking with his mom.

Only the guy doesn’t leave, not for the ten minutes Stiles sits silently by his mother’s grave. The guy just stands there, hands stuffed in the pockets of his leather jacket, scuffing his foot against the grass. He still looks over at Stiles from time to time, but not like he wants Stiles to leave so he can have his own alone time with lost loved ones. He looks a little desperate actually, as well as nervous and shy.

To Stiles it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter that he finally got a glimpse of the guys face – turns out he is _gorgeous!_ – doesn’t matter how sad this guy looks. It doesn’t matter because Stiles is pissed.

“Later mom” he mutters, patting the headstone in parting again and storms off to his car.

 

~*~

 

This routine keeps happening for the rest of the week. Stiles sits down to talk to his mom and half an hour later along comes the most annoyingly attractive guy he’s ever seen.

All week he’s left early, having never been able to finish a single conversation with his mom, all because this jerk keeps coming by every time Stiles is there.

On the third day of this happening Stiles had quickly snuck over to the headstone the guy always stands at and memorised the names so he could research later. His curiosity will be his downfall one day, that or his insatiable need to talk. He found a few articles relating to the Hale tragedy only 5 years ago.

The family had been driving, on their way home from vacation when a truck driver lost control of the wheel and slammed into the family car. In the front car, a huge 7 seater, was Talia Hale and her husband Aaron as well as their four children; Laura aged 19, Derek, 16, Nathanial, 10 and Cora age 6. Both parents and Nathanial had died in the crash. The car behind them contained Talia’s younger brother Peter his young wife Amelia and their 6 month old daughter April. Peter had been severely injured in the crash, leading to a coma, while Amelia and April both died in hospital due to their critical injuries.

The articles were truly horrific, Stiles was balling his eyes out by the end of it, and he couldn’t imagine anyone having to go through that. Losing his mother was hard enough, he couldn’t begin to imagine what losing almost you’re entire family would be like.

Despite the tragic back story of the grave this guy keeps visiting Stiles has had enough. It’s been a whole week and he wants to speak to his mother in private. As soon as the guy stops at the Hale’s grave Stiles marches over to him, a glare firmly set upon his face.

“Alright what gives man? I’ve been coming here every day for years and no one’s ever been here then all of a sudden you show up out of nowhere and now I can’t talk to my mom in peace. So what the hell is your deal?”

Stiles is almost fuming by the time he’s finished but he’s pleased he managed to restrain himself from poking the guy in his stupidly muscled chest. _Jeez, this guy is even more attractive up close_. He also looks like Stiles just pointed a gun at him, completely terrified and trying to decide if he can run away before getting shot. _Dude is hell skittish._

“I... I’m sorry” the guy mutters, eyes glaring holes into his shoes. Stiles almost flails back as if he’s been slapped. Not only is this guys voice angelic but he sounds wrecked. “I just, I don’t know how to do this”.

A hand gestures towards the Hale’s headstone, one large one with far too many names engraved upon the stone all ending on the same day.

“What?” Stiles asks having absolutely no idea what the hell this guy is talking about.

The guy huffs, looking increasingly more frustrated – either with Stiles or the whole situation, he isn’t sure – but he seems to get a hold of himself and finally looks Stiles in the eye.

“I don’t know how to talk to them. It was too hard after the funeral then I left town. I’ve only been back two weeks and I couldn’t bring myself to even come over here but I saw you every day and you talk so easily. So uh, I guess I just wanted to know how you do it.”

_Completely break Stiles heart why don’t you._

Stiles spends the next half hour walking this guy – who turns out to be Derek Hale, one of the surviving children – through how to talk to a headstone. It’s kind of horrible and awkward, it can’t not be when talking to a stranger about dead family members, but it’s the start of a beautiful friendship. It’s hard to explain to people who haven’t lost someone how it doesn’t matter if it’s been years, that hole in your heart where they used to be never closes; every time you think about it it feels like a fresh wound and how sometimes you just feel miserable because they’re gone. Stiles wishes no one knew how he felt but in a way he’s glad he has Derek, because Derek understands him better than even Scott does.

 

~*~

 

“And that, my darling, is how your daddy and I met” Stiles finishes the story with a flourish. Glancing down at his 3 year old daughter as she fights to stay awake for the end of the story, he smiles fondly, rubbing his hand along her back soothingly.

“Tanks Papa” she mumbles, snuggling her wolf teddy and letting sleep take her.

“Night baby” Stiles leans down, brushing her dark hair from her face to kiss her forehead before turning to leave the bedroom.

“Don’t you think she’s a little young for a story about dead family members?” Derek asks, leaning against the doorframe, watching his new family adoringly.

“Probably” Stiles grins, wrapping his arms around his husband before leading him to the lounge room and collapsing onto the couch, snuggling into Derek’s side when he sits. “You know I never did thank you for interrupting my talks with my mom”

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out [Tumblr](http://nothing-personal-my-dear.tumblr.com/)


End file.
